Stories by Leon H Wolf
Posted at 5:09pm on Jun. 23, 2005 Misunderestimation
By Leon H Wolf
I have always believed that George W. Bush was a much smarter political operator than his opponents gave him credit for. How else to explain the fact that he seems to consistently defeat them every which way he turns? The left's dismissal of Bush as a lucky, bumbling fool has worked to his advantage time and time again.
However, IF the recent reports are true, and Bush really is considering nominating Alberto Gonzales to replace Sandra Day O'Connor, then Bush is on the cusp of making one of the all-time greatest boneheaded maneuvers in political history.
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Posted at 1:19pm on Jun. 21, 2005 How Many is Too Many?
By Leon H Wolf
Recently, we've had a lot of debate within our "monolithic" party about the appropriateness of the treatment that the prisoners of war have been receiving, and specifically dealing with the number of prisoners who have died in our custody. In a recent RedHot thread, we mused over the question of how many prisoners need to die in U. S. Custody before it becomes "distressing."
The simplest answer, of course, is one. However, in this case, the simplest answer isn't necessarily the correct one.
The truth of the matter is that, for most of us, we really wish that folks didn't have to die. Ideally, unless someone was doing something that threatened direct harm upon us or our loved ones, we wouldn't wish death on anyone. And who among us cannot muster at least some empathy for those who are obviously unable to inflict further harm, in that they have been imprisoned?
However, a simple fact of life that most of us have noticed is that people have a tendency to die with alarming frequency. And, a convincing case can be made that the death rate in U. S. Prisons in Iraq and Gitmo is not outside the norm of what would be expected in similar situations, and does not indicate a systemic problem in the treatment of our prisoners.
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Posted in Elections — Comments (78)/ Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 5:53pm on Jun. 19, 2005 Learning from Trent Lott
By Leon H Wolf
In a fit of unexpected wisdom, former Kerry campaign manager Jim Jordan once remarked:
"We are too coastal. We are too urban. We are too secular. And, most of all, we are too dovish. The public simply doesn't trust us to keep them safe";
What Jordan was ahead of the curve in realizing, is that after so long, political labels have a habit of sticking - and that political labels that have stuck are often very hard to remove.
For this reason, if Dick Durbin is really concerned for the ideology of his party, and not just his own personal gain, he should take a page out of the Trent Lott playbook, do the right thing by his party and resign his position as minority whip.
Posted in Democrats — Comments (46)/ Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 6:34pm on Jun. 18, 2005 It Must be Censure
By Leon H Wolf
Okay, I've read Durbin's non-apology, and it's nowhere near enough. In the first place, the Distinguished Senator does not apologize for what he said, but only apologized if others misunderstood what he said. This, essentially, says that given the chance, Durbin would say it again, if only the rest of us were smart enough to understand what he truly meant.
Posted in Democrats — Comments (96)/ Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 5:10pm on Jun. 17, 2005 RedState.org Not a Part of <i>this</i> VRWC
By Leon H Wolf
Mickey Kaus has dug up this piece of trash from the NYTimes' Raymond Hernandez:
WASHINGTON, June 16 - Republican and conservative activists are behind a vigorous campaign to promote a controversial new biography about Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, with some even suggesting that the book will help dash any presidential aspirations she might have.
The prospect that Mrs. Clinton, who is up for re-election next year, may run for the presidency in 2008, has re-energized her opponents, who are seizing on the book, "The Truth About Hillary: What She Knew, When She Knew It, and How Far She'll Go to Become President," as it is to be released next week.
Posted in Elections — Comments (41)/ Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 4:35pm on Jun. 17, 2005 Zimbabwean Reign of Terror Grows
By Leon H Wolf
In the midst of the informal contest within the Democratic party over who can invent the most strident rhetoric to describe what is occuring in Gitmo (where there have been no casualties to date), a real human rights disaster grows worse:
Zimbabwe has extended the destruction of informal homes and businesses from the cities to rural areas, police told state radio Friday.
Police spokesman Austin Chikwavara said his force has started tearing down shacks and kiosks found at major crossroads in Chirumanzu, Umvuma and Lalapanzi in the Zimbabwe Midlands, between 200 kilometers (124 miles) and 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of the capital, Harare.
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Posted in Foreign Affairs — Comments (48)/ Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 4:07pm on Jun. 16, 2005 Iran to Hold Elections Tomorrow<br>Bush Calls for Reform
By Leon H Wolf
In keeping his promise to promote Democracy around the world, President Bush spoke out today against the rampant corruption in the Iranian election system:
WASHINGTON - On the eve of Iran's presidential election, President Bush said the voting has been designed to keep power in the hands of a few rulers "through an electoral process that ignores the basic requirements of democracy."
"The Iranian people deserve a genuinely democratic system in which elections are honest — and in which their leaders answer to them instead of the other way around," Bush said in a statement released by the White House Thursday. "And to the Iranian people, I say: As you stand for your own liberty, the people of America stand with you."
Some encouraging signs and questions below the fold: